God’s grace is working through every corner of the world.
Let us strive for a theology that enables us to engage in dialogue with other people in order to create a good civil society.
Let us create a square where we can learn from one another in “our ecclesia”!
With looking forward to our Lord!
Our Themes
Adult Education
Christian churches may be likely doing educational ministries with separated classes based on ages or other ways or counseling ministries in addition to regular worship services and prayer meetings.
They are mainly for growing in faith by studying the Bible, doctrines, denominational faith confession, and so on.
Adult education, as set forth here, is different from those, and refers to a lifelong education square where believers learn from one another about the many challenges they encounter in their respective vocations in the light of theology and Christian thought.
Public Theology
Public theology refers to a theology discussed in the public sphere.
It seeks to be a theology that enables Christians to engage in dialogue with those who hold different opinions in order to create a good civil society with non-Christians.
One of mottos of the Protestant Reformation in 16th century was “Grace only (sola gratia).”
This theology seeks to establish an attitude of the word (logos) and reconciliation rather than violence and division, based on the faith that God's grace is at work in every corner of the world, despite the strong presence of human sin and evil in modern life.
The Creation
No Christian may fail to think of God’s creation when looking at beautiful nature.
The beginning words of and covering whole Bible is existence and reality of God the Creator.
Creation is the prerequisite for salvation.
Creation can be found in human nature, social order, and scientific technology made by human beings.
However, what is particularly evident in the modern era is that as science and technology advance, so, in turn, do the dangers to human life.
The challenge for public theology is how ‘creation is restored’.
The kingdom of God
Jesus began his mission at first by declaring, "The kingdom of God is at hand".
Christians are living in the gospel of the kingdom of God that has already come through Jesus but is not completed yet.
The “kingdom of God” is every realm that God’s control reaches and is related to everywhere on the earth.
In order to witness to this reality in places where we are (the public sphere) as being sent from local churches, we will engage both in dialogues with philosophies of this world and in practices with collaboration with non-Christians.
Public theology is needed for this purpose.
Eschatology
Apart from the end of the world as described in the Bible, modern people in the public sphere also generally increase their anxiety.
They wonder that regional conflicts eventually could escalate into a world war and turn into a global nuclear war, with deadly fallout raining down on the Eart. And they also wonder that with climate change and global warming, the global environment may deteriorate further to the point where it becomes uninhabitable for humans.
People are aware that these conditions are not the result of natural causes, but the result of lifestyle choices people have made since the Industrial Revolution, yet they really find the situation difficult to change.
Human Rights
Every person has a right to be respected as a human being and live with free thought.
This right must be guaranteed as world citizens before guaranteed as nationals by national laws
Of course, this fact applies to all races, as the Bible states, “In the image of God they were created" (Genesis 1:27), which is a fundamental theological understanding.
Nevertheless, a reality is that this right is violated because human prejudice and sins.
One of the roles of public theology is to reveal this reality.
Peace
“Peace with God" is a basic teaching of the Bible, but our goal is to have this ripple out to accomplish peace among people.
Jesus' teachings on being a “peacemaker" and loving our neighbor send us out to fight for the elimination of all "structural violence."
The pacifism of the Japanese Constitution and the tragic experiences of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Fukushima make Japan's role in the international community increasingly clear to the Japanese people.
The citizens' movement for the elimination of nuclear facilities worldwide also encourages us to practice collaboration with non-Christians in the public sphere.
Working Environment
Labor is the basis for people's lives - food, clothing, and shelter - and it is the foundation of economic activity.
However, it is also true that in a world dominated by capitalism, the reality of fierce competition is widening the gap between rich and poor both domestically and internationally.
Public theology explores the nature of working conditions in the public sphere that maintain economic and environmental justice from the perspective of God's justice. And it also seeks with non-Christians a form of just democratic society in which each person can work according to his or her given fair.
National Happiness
Every year, somewhat subjective indicators such as "Is each person happy?" are reported in surveys of people around the world.
Japan, which once boasted the second largest GDP in the world, is now not only 34th in GDP per capita, but also 118th in the gender gap index. Japan is not a country where human rights are adequately protected.
The gospel is essentially about making people happy. Public theology explores how human life can be gradually enriched by God's grace, starting with inner happiness and then moving on to outer happiness.
Ethics of Care
Broadly speaking, the Bible has two care commands.
“Steward and care for creation” (Stewardship=Genesis 1)
“Look after and care for the injured” (Good Samaritan=Luke10)
These two are a response to God's purpose for creation and a practice of love for our neighbor.
Especially in our modern age of apocalypticism, “pain" is increasing in the created world and among fellow human beings.
The ethics of care today is to alleviate this pain, a kind of “palliative care" in end-of-life care.
Theology of Hope
The reality is that we cannot say that the future of the world is full of hope.
The meaning of life, the environment given, and the happiness of each person may differ from person to person, but many people still want to maintain some kind of hope.
It is true that the Apostle's Creed says that the Lord, seated at the right hand of God, will come from here to judge the living and the dead,'' yet this will be at the time of the consummation of the world.
Therefore, public theology that actively engage in this world is the theology of hope.